


Love Live: Bad Ending

by ThePieGod7



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad Ending, Best Friends, F/F, Implied Relationships, Sad, Slice of Life, Teenage Drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:35:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29187906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePieGod7/pseuds/ThePieGod7
Kudos: 9





	Love Live: Bad Ending

The student council president’s icy glare cut right through Honoka. She was here with her friends, Umi and Kotori, to ask for permission to use the school auditorium on new student orientation day, but…

“The answer is no.”

“Ehhhhhhhh?” Honoka exaggerated her bewilderment. “Why not?”

Eli stared Honoka in the eye. “New student orientation day isn’t a game. And besides, the school can’t be saved by some half-baked plan.”

“What? It’s not half baked!” Honoka whined.

“Is that so?” Eli raised an eyebrow. “Then what are your plans besides singing and dancing?”

Honoka grinned sheepishly. “Well, uh…”

Eli sighed. “Kousaka-san, I’ll be honest with you. The principal herself told us to give up trying to save the school, and instead prioritize the quality of time for the remaining students. It hurts me too. But we can’t do anything else. I’m sorry.”

“But-”

Umi placed her hand on Honoka’s shoulder. “Honoka,” she stated plainly. “You heard her.”

Honoka slumped her shoulders. “Y-yes, ma’am…”

“Honoka-chan…” Kotori muttered softly.

-

As Honoka and her friends left the room, Eli and her subordinate Nozomi were left with a slightly tense air, as silence filled the room.

Nozomi, deciding to lighten the mood, turned to the president, who doubled as her closest friend. “Geez~ You didn’t have to be so harsh with them.” She teased, with a friendly smile.

Eli closed her eyes. “If you thought that, why didn’t you say anything?”

Nozomi’s face suddenly shifted, and her voice took on a completely serious tone. “The cards,” she replied.

“The… cards?” Eli tilted her head.

“The cards told me not to!” Nozomi flipped up a thin tarot card with an upside-down illustration of the sun, shining brightly upon a child riding a horse. Or rather, she held the card upside-down. Eli shook her head. She should have guessed this was what Nozomi was referring to. Her friend always carried around a deck of ornate tarot cards, which could apparently help one read the future… or something like that.

Eli smiled. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand you,” she mused.

-

“So what club are you gonna join, Kayo-chin~?” Rin asked, with her usual cat-like accentation. 

“I-I’m not sure…” Hanayo replied timidly. The surrounding crowd had made her a bit nervous, but Rin didn’t seem to mind at all. The crowd, of course, was the result of new student orientation day. A variety of clubs were clambering for new members, ranging from topics like science, music, and even to archery. She heard tellings of a School Idol Research club, but there were no fliers, stands, or members advertising it. She hadn’t heard a room number, either. It may not have even  _ existed.  _ Hanayo would have to ask the student council about it later. For now, her arm was literally being pulled by Rin.

“Hey, Kayo-chin, want to join the track team with me?” Rin shook Hanayo’s sleeve. 

“The track team? I’m not very good at running…” Hanayo was a little uncomfortable with Rin’s…  _ intimate  _ tendencies, but she had never outright protested to them. She was too nervous.

“Who cares? You’ll get better! Come on!” Rin took Hanayo’s hand, and pulled her along to a table with a messy sign that said ‘Track team,’ on it. 

“ _ Rin-chan! _ ” Hanayo tried to object, but Rin flat-out ignored her.

“Hi there!” An overly-friendly smile greeted. “Here to join the track team?”

“That’s right! Where do we sign up?” Rin asked, enthusiastically as ever.

The girl handed them a sheet with the words, ‘ **Track Team Signups’** written clearly at the top, followed by columns with a couple of names written in the boxes. Rin didn’t hesitate to write  _ both _ of their names below those, though.

The girl,  _ still  _ making the same smile, looked straight at the two, and announced, “Welcome aboard!”

Rin jumped up in celebration, her hands flying in the air. Hanayo, all the while stayed silent. What had she gotten herself into?

-

Wind whistled loudly through the large tree above Honoka as she silently munched down on a slice of bread staring down at the ground, with a distinctly sad look in her eyes. Umi sat next to her, eating with a bit more decency, while Kotori stared worryingly at her orange-haired friend.

“Honoka-chan…” Umi began, unsure of how to handle this situation. “You’ve been a bit quiet. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Honoka replied soullessly.

“Are you thinking about the auditorium again?”

Honoka stopped chewing for a second, before replying, “...Yeah.”

“I’m sure we can still become idols fine. There are other opportunities.” Kotori stated, hoping to invoke any amount of optimism into her friend. It didn’t seem to work.

“I don’t really care about being a school idol anymore.” Kotori and Umi turned to Honoka, shocked.

“H-Honoka-chan?!”

“They said it’s pointless, right?” Honoka mulled. “Why bother?”

“Honoka, what’s gotten into you?” Umi asked. “I would think you’d try to be a school idol anyway, not… mope around while eating bread.”

“The school can’t be saved.” Honoka replied without a hint of emotion in her voice. “Let’s just… try and make the most of our time here.”

“But-” Umi stood up in a mix of rage and bewilderment. “But the first years won’t have any juniors! Their graduating class will be tiny, and they’ll  _ barely  _ have any clubs! Doesn’t that  _ upset  _ you?”

  
“Yeah… kinda.” 

Breathing heavily, Umi looked down at Honoka. She didn’t look very phased by it. In truth, she looked like she wouldn’t notice if a meteor hit the ground right in front of her. Umi just didn’t believe the headstrong, persistent, confident girl she knew for all her life could be emotionally defeated by the simple word, “no.” Swallowing her temper, she sat back down.

“Honoka, did something happen? You’re not usually like this.” Umi asked.

Honoka shook her head, and said nothing more.

-

After a brief detour to the storage closet, Nico was walking back to the School Idol Research Clubroom. A small accident involving a bag of potato chips required some impromptu cleaning, but it was nothing a wet mop couldn’t handle. On her way back, however, she passed the music room, which had a red-haired girl she didn’t recognize playing on the piano.

Nico stopped walking. The girl was  _ really _ good at playing.

A flurry of notes echoed off the walls, and although the sounds were  _ slightly  _ suppressed behind the doors, Nico could still hear the girl’s beautiful voice singing in perfect harmony with the instrument. 

_ Daisuki da banzai! _

_ Makenai yuuki watashitachi wa ima o tanoshimou _

_ Daisuki da banzai! _

_ Ganbareru kara kinou ni te o futte hora mae muite… _

Nico stood in stunned silence. What she just heard was… immaculate. It made her want to hear this girl play for hours. It was on par with a theatre-filling performance. The girl herself appeared to be young, however. Her uniform looked to be that of a first-year, which explained her unfamiliarity. If so, she was quite the prodigy.

The girl looked up, and saw Nico staring at her through the door. She blushed bright red, and her face turned a shade that matched her crimson hair. She was nothing if not utterly embarrassed. That embarrassment turned to anger, as the girl’s eyebrow furrowed into an outraged glare directly towards Nico. Her face, however, stayed pink. Despite how amusing it was, Nico deduced the girl hadn’t wanted an audience.  _ So be it,  _ Nico thought.

Nico huffed, and walked away. 

-

The weather of summer wasn’t cold by any means. The heat was a far cry from the cool breeze of spring, and it beat down on the trees and flowers harshly. The one who got the worst of it, however, was Hanayo Koizumi. 

At least, she sure  _ felt  _ like she was. All this running had taken a toll on her.

“Rin! Wait! Can’t we-” Hanayo cut herself off to take a gasping of air. “-Take a break?!”

Rin, who was a few feet ahead of her - and had clearly been having a better time than her friend - didn’t even bother turning her head to respond with a self-assured, “We just started, Kayo-chin!”

Hanayo didn’t like that answer very much. “Rin!” Hanayo wheezed, and slowed her pace down into a walk, and eventually stopped completely. Drenched in sweat, Hanayo leaned over, breathing as hard as she could.

Rin turned around, and jogged back to her friend. “Hey, Kayo-chin, are you alright?” 

Hanayo  _ tried  _ to answer, but all that could come out of her mouth was a weird sputtering noise.

“Uh… Do you need water?” 

Hanayo could nod, though. And indeed, she did nod.

“I’ll, uh, go grab some!” Rin bolted off. You could tell she held herself back to let Hanayo keep up whenever they ran together. It made Hanayo feel a little bad, but the running itself felt much,  _ much _ worse.

It didn’t take long for Rin to return. They were using the school’s track for a place to practice, so any facilities weren’t completely out of reach. This included vending machines, of course. 

Hanayo was handed a plastic water bottle. She tore off the (surprisingly tight) cap, and chugged half the bottle in nearly one go.

“Wow, you were thirsty, Kayo-chin.” Rin said. “Should we take a break?”

“No…,” Hanayo replied, wiping the sweat of her brow. “No, I can keep going a little more.”

Hanayo surprised herself with her own vigor. In truth, she kind of really wanted to take a break. But, even moreso, she wanted to do at  _ least  _ one more lap. She stood tall, rolled up her sleeves, and took a deep, soothing breath.

Rin’s eyes gleamed, and she smiled as wide as the track itself. “Come on, let’s go!” She ushered Hanayo with her hand, and Hanayo dashed after her.

-

“Kotori-chan, you’re gonna  _ study abroad _ ?”

“Yes. I’m leaving in a week.” Kotori answered with a gloomy tone. “I was offered a job with a famous fashion designer, from France.”

“That’s great, Kotori.” Umi forced a smile, but a tinge of sadness was still audible in her voice.

“ **France!?** Why didn’t you tell us earlier?” Honoka yelled.

“I-” Kotori’s voice cracked. She looked away, trying to avoid Honoka’s gaze. “I didn’t want to…”

“Kotori-chan…” Umi’s suave faded. 

“I’d like to stay here with all of you, but...” Kotori moved her hand to wipe a tear.

Umi walked towards Kotori, and placed her hand on her shoulder. “This is a rare opportunity. You can’t afford to miss it.” Umi was clearly attempting to comfort her friend, but it didn’t really work.

“I know. I  _ know  _ I can’t, but I don't want to leave you guys behind.”

“We’ll be fine, Kotori-chan.” Honoka looked away. It seemed like she was trying to avoid Kotori’s gaze. Kotori didn’t know why. Kotori didn’t want to upset Honoka, but… well, she figured she should at least be honest with her.

“Honoka-chan, I worry about you the m-”

“Remember how I said we should try and make the most of our time here?” Honoka tried to put on a happy face, but a tear seeped through her eye. “You should go, Kotori. Don’t worry about us.”

Umi turned to face Honoka. Honoka was trying to hide her sadness behind a smile, and it was  **not** working. Still, her words had reminded Umi of their talk back under the tree those few months ago. Again, it didn’t feel like Honoka. She usually was a lot more… stubborn. Umi didn’t bother to say anything this time, though. It was pointless to try and argue with her in this state.

Kotori worryingly looked at Honoka, and sighed. “Alright,” She replied, “Thank you, Honoka.”

-

“Honoka-chan? Umi-chan? What are you two doing here?”

“We came to see you off!” Honoka announced, with her usual overenthusiasm. A far cry then her meltdown on the bench.  _ At least she’s back to her old self,  _ Kotori thought.

Kotori smiled the widest she had in a good while. “Geez, all the way out here?”

“It wasn’t  _ that _ long.” Umi shrugged. Both her and Honoka were still in their school uniforms, which meant they had to get here quickly, right out of school. Umi was definitely lying, trying to reassure Kotori. She wasn’t about to bring it up, however. Mentioning to someone who was aware they had inconvenienced themselves that they had, in fact, inconvenienced themselves, felt rather pointless. A bit rude, even. “Besides,  _ of course _ we would come. We won’t be seeing you for the rest of high school, right?”

“That’s right.” Kotori nodded. The fact that she wouldn’t be with her friends for  _ that  _ long nearly depressed her. It almost brought her to tears, especially now that they were right in front of her. In fact, she started to feel herself crying right here and now...

“It must be exciting, right? Right?!” Honoka’s eyes lit up. At least, they  _ seemed  _ to light up. Kotori completely forgot about her negative feelings. Honoka was  **definitely** back to her old self.

Kotori smiled. “Yes. Yes, it is. I’ll miss you guys, though.”

“We haven’t been apart that long since…” Honoka’s sentence trailed off, and she rubbed her chin, seemingly to flaunt that she was deep in thought. “Uh…”

“Never, I believe.” Umi finished. “Ever since we first met, we’ve been pretty close, haven’t we?”

“That sounds right!” Honoka proclaimed, accepting the estimation immediately. “It’s kind of hard to think what I’d do without you, Kotori-chan!”

Kotori chuckled. “You better not get into any trouble while I’m away.” 

“I won’t! I promise.” Honoka added a hint of gusto to the way she said ‘promise.’ She smiled confidently, and she pressed her hands to her hips, to complete the act.

Kotori checked her watch. Boarding started in about ten minutes. She looked back to her friends. “I should get going now.”

“Wait!” Honoka called out. “How about one last group hug?”

Kotori barely had time to say anything before Honoka’s arms clung to her. “I’ll miss you, Kotori-chan.” Honoka said, with a strange, almost uncharacteristic tenderness. Before Kotori had a chance to reply, Umi wrapped her arms around the both of them.

“You guys…” Kotori could feel her eyes well up. “You’re gonna make me cry.” Nevertheless, Kotori hugged them both back.

“I’m…” An overpowering sadness appeared in Honoka’s voice. “ _ I’m crying too!” _ Honoka started to whine like a baby. Some of her tears splattered onto Kotori’s outfit. It would be embarrassing, but at this very moment, none of them cared. Amidst their sobbing, Umi had begun to do the same. 

The girls stood like that for a minute, bawling their eyes out, all clinging to each other like their lives depended on it. They hadn’t been this intimate in a good while, and given the circumstances, it was better to just let it soak in. 

“I wish we could stay like this forever.” Honoka confessed, gripping Kotori’s clothes. “I know it’d be selfish… wanting you to stay behind, and give up on your dream, but…” 

“No, it’s ok.” Kotori nodded, talking through her tears. “I think that would be wonderful, too.”

Umi disengaged from the group hug, and wiped her eyes. “You should probably get going now, Kotori-chan,” Umi advised. She looked like she was on the verge of welling up again, but she managed to keep her composure.

“Ah, you’re right!” Kotori gasped, prying Honoka off of her. “I’ll see you all later. Goodbye!”

Umi waved, and put on her best fake smile. Honoka continued to cry, watching Kotori run off to the boarding area, and getting one last glimpse of her best friend before they were separated for the next year. 

-

The streets of Akihabara were littered with people, stores, flyers, and advertisements.  _ Especially  _ advertisements. Colorful billboards trumpeting the latest idols or anime glowed down upon the streets, hoping to catch the views of any passersby below. It was almost disorienting for Umi, who was by no means a city girl.

She was here with Honoka on a vacation, of sorts. There wasn’t a special occasion or anything, but the idea of a day in the city sounded nice. And, secretly, Umi had hoped it could take Honoka’s mind off of Kotori. She wouldn’t dare mention that to Honoka, though.

“Woah, there’s a whole store for school idol stuff!” Honoka shouted, pointing to a bright, pink sign captioned with the words, ‘School Idol Shop.’ Honoka looked to Umi with puppy dog eyes. “Can we go in, Umi-chan? Can we?”

Umi couldn’t help but give in to Honoka’s little charade. “Sure,” She complied.

Honoka bowed “Thank you very much, Umi-chan!” She said in a dramatic voice, as if to imitate a pupil speaking to his wise master, before running into the idol store and gawking at the merchandise without a second though. 

Honoka’s act reminded Umi of a small child. At this point, she shouldn’t have been surprised. She’d known Honoka for her whole life, and not once had Honoka shown signs of growing up. Umi wasn’t necessarily complaining, of course. Honoka’s seemingly boundless optimism rubbed off on everyone she knew, and Umi was definitely not an exception. It was a nice foil against Umi’s calm, stoic self. Being an only child, Umi guessed this was what having a younger sister might be like. Umi  _ did  _ wish Honoka could tone herself down sometimes, but ultimately, she was her friend. So, she didn’t care that much.

The store itself was… interesting. Posters, pins, trading cards, t-shirts, albums… any type of idol good you could name, it was sold in spades. The store was nearly littered with products. You had to watch your step, in order to not land your foot in a box of CDs. Above the cramped floor, faces of young girls Umi didn’t recognize stared right at her through a television screen that hung on the wall, talking in what sounded to be a special broadcast of some sort. 

On Umi’s right, she spotted a display table, which had on it signed pictures of young girls. Most were donning idol suits, of course, but some of the photos were girls in…  _ suggestive  _ outfits. A french maid here, a risqu é cosplay there... Upon further examination, some of these photos had girls dressed in  _ normal clothes.  _ Umi could only presume they were off-duty idols that had an unwarranted photo shoot.

She decided that she didn’t like this shop that much.

Umi turned around, hoping to get that thought out of her mind. She hoped to find Honoka before leaving the store, however, so she may as well look for her.

The first place she thought to look was the cash register, which the cashier was currently dealing with a customer. An oddly dressed one, at that. A small girl with pigtails bore a large coat, pink scarf, sunglasses, and a face mask. It wasn’t even  _ winter  _ yet. If it was an idol hiding her identity, she was dedicated.

Putting that aside, Umi turned to a corner, and spotted Honoka, ogling a school idol poster.

“Hono-” Umi bit her tongue when she realized what Honoka was looking at.  _ A-Rise,  _ the acclaimed school idols of UTX. 

The ones that initially inspired Honoka to try and become a school idol herself, all those months ago.

Honoka slowly turned around. “Oh, hey, Umi-chan.”

“Honoka-chan, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I was just…” Honoka paused to glance at the poster, before looking back at Umi. “Doing some thinking.”

Umi sighed. “Honoka, I…” Umi’s sentence trailed off. She didn’t know what to say. Honoka’s sadness was something that still felt foreign to her. But… Umi still wanted to help. Giving up on words, Umi embraced her friend in a hug. 

Honoka seemed to be shocked at first, but eventually hugged Umi back, not saying anything. Honoka breathed softly on Umi’s shoulder, arms grasped tight around her back. Umi felt Honoka’s heart beat against her chest. It felt relatively fast, as if she had just gone for a jog. Slowly, though, it lessened in pace, back to that of a normal heartbeat. Umi tried to not think about the fact they were having a moment inside of a shop for school idol merch. 

Honoka let go. Umi would have stepped back, if she wasn’t worried about crushing any unfortunately placed laser disks. She opened her mouth to speak, and only then realized that she was extremely embarrassed. “Um…” Was the only word she found herself able to say.

“Are you ready to go, Umi-chan?”

“Uh… Yeah.” 

“Alright.” Honoka obliged, and walked out of the store. Umi followed behind her, watching her step along the way.

Strangely enough, Honoka appeared to be happy for the rest of the trip. Suspiciously so. Perhaps it was Umi’s anxiety acting up, but she couldn’t help but feel Honoka’s cheerfulness was an act of sorts, all to fool her friends, acquaintances, and anyone else who happened to meet her. Why Honoka would do this? She didn’t have a clue.

-

A thick coat of white fell upon the Otonokizaka trees, hiding the leaves that lay on the ground. A far cry from the pink shades of Spring. It was Winter, and a particularly lonely one at that. Umi had been practicing archery a lot, and the time differences from France made it difficult to talk with Kotori. This left her family, but with Yukiho studying for High School entrance exams, and her mother dealing with the busy winter season, there wasn’t a whole lot of talking to be had at the Kousaka household. 

Today, like many days, Honoka found herself staring out the window. Watching the snowflakes imprint themselves on the glass, then slowly fade away...

Honoka sighed. The exhaled air left a gaseous mark on the window. She missed her friends, that much she knew. But something else tore at her, like a calling for something greater she had completely ignored. It was hard to believe her cheery high school life had come to this, but, well… What could she do?

Honoka sighed again. She had always liked the snow. But today, she couldn’t help but feel a sadness, eating at her from the inside. A longing of times that seemed to have flown by, and yearning for times that may never come.

It felt colder than the snow falling from the sky, and it coated her heart.

Was it seasonal depression? Maybe. But this… this loneliness, this yearn, this  _ regret _ felt unique to Honoka. 

Perhaps… perhaps it would be appropriate to call it a _ snow halation _ .

-

Eli stood outside the Otonokizaka auditorium. Today was the day.

Their graduation. 

It had been a long time coming. Ultimately, it was a bit sad - she’d miss her friends, her teachers, and even being the student council president, stressful as it was - but she tried not to think about that. She had a good time. Her life in high school would definitely be something to look back on and smile at.

Eli turned to Nozomi. “Are you ready to graduate?” 

“Nicocchi…” Nozomi responded, with a slightly troubled tone.

“Nicc-” Eli had to stop herself from repeating Nozomi’s nickname. “Yazawa Nico-san? What about her?”

Nozomi didn’t bother making eye contact with her friend, instead opting to take quick glances at the girls occupying the surrounding hallway. “She’s not here.”

“Oh. Is she sick?”

“I don’t know.”

Eli wasn’t too familiar with Nico Yazawa. She’d once tried to confront Nico about the School Idol Research Club’s status as something that essentially only existed due to a  _ loophole _ . Eli wanted to ask her if it was really worth owning a club occupied by one member, but Nico locked the door. After a brief knocking session, she gave up, and left to attend a Student Council meeting. They never interacted after the fact, but Eli was aware that Nozomi and Nico had  _ something  _ of a relationship from back in their first year. She didn’t know  _ just  _ how close they were, but due to Nozomi’s nature, it made sense for her to be concerned. Eli herself was as well, even if she’d never interacted directly with Nico. Missing your own graduation was… undesirable, to say the least. Eli felt sorry, if only a little. “I see,” she stated plainly.

-

Nico sat on her bed. Today was her graduation day. Well, it was supposed to be. Instead of attending, she had brought home all of the DVDs, CDs, posters, and various other types of idol memorabilia she previously hoarded in the School Idol Research Clubroom. She didn’t want to go to graduation. She didn’t have any friends there. She had sat alone in the club for most of the time. No one ever tried to approach her.

Well, there was that time where the Student Council President came to shut down the club. But that was different. Outside of that, the club never gained any new members. It didn’t make Nico happy. The only real ‘friend’ she had made in high school was…

Nozomi Toujou. And that barely counted. Nozomi hadn’t kept up with Nico throughout the years, and the few times she had, she cut herself off. Back in their first year, Nozomi had entered the School Idol Research club to, according to her, “Check it out.” 

Nico wasn’t having that. She asked Nozomi to leave. Nozomi was initially resistant, but she complied.

There had been a few more interactions like that, and not really anything more. But even if they really were only acquaintances, Nico had this strange feeling deep in her heart. It wasn‘t exactly sadness, it was more personal, and drenched in regret. Something closer to… longing?

Without thinking, Nico clutched her nearest pillow.

That’s right. She had longed to get closer with her… or with anyone. Like that girl with red hair. Nico never even  _ tried _ to give her a chance. Was it her own fault? Had she cooped herself up, cutting off everyone who approached her?

Was it… was it her fault she was alone?

She dug her face into the pillow, and uncontrollably cried.

-

It was Maki’s graduation day. It was hard to believe. Her High School days had whizzed by. But, well… She supposed it happened to everyone. Maki’s high school experience wasn’t the most sociable, so to speak. Her senior year felt the most lonely, since it was only the senior class that would be attending classes. After this generation of students, Otonokizaka would be closing its doors for good, as a modern generation of schooling would slowly take over Japan. Some of her peers had even transferred out beforehand, to avoid the hassle of growing up with a small circle of interaction. It was a shame, really. Otonokizaka’s old-fashioned-ness had its own appeal, at least to Maki. On this day, one attraction in particular had her attention, if only for a bit of nostalgia’s sake.

She entered the music room. The old, slightly dusty piano she occasionally came back to play sat as it always did, right next to a window. There wasn’t any reason it wouldn’t be there - the piano was barely used for school events, and the renovation of the school had yet to start - but nevertheless, it was there. She propped open the lid, and sat upon the accompanying seat.

She ran her fingers across the keyboard. They still felt fresh and sturdy. Pressing down on the C key, it emitted a fairly loud note throughout the room. For a school that didn’t host an extensive music program, Otonokizaka housed a very high quality piano. Construction-wise, at least. It could use some dusting.

Maki rested her fingertips upon the keyboard. Recalling a song from long ago, she blinked, took a deep breath, and began to play. 

_ Daisuki da banzai! _

_ Makenai yuuki watashitachi wa ima o tanoshimou _

_ Daisuki da banzai! _

_ Ganbareru kara kinou ni te o futte hora mae muite… _

Maki took another deep breath. She closed the piano lid. Placing her hand on the door handle, Maki looked back on the piano. There was a time she had wanted to play music. Maybe not for a living, but as a pastime, or perhaps a club activity. But now that she was graduating and going directly into medical school, that time was over. Still though, she couldn’t help but wonder what could have been.

Maki left the music room, and closed the door to that piano.


End file.
